Twins' Laweryson fans 15 in another gem

Cody Laweryson had been fantastic over his first 10 pro outings, but he stepped it up yet another notch Monday night.
The Minnesota right-hander struck out a career-high 15 batters while allowing three hits over six innings as Rookie Advanced Elizabethton blanked Greeneville, 1-0, at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark. He nearly doubled his personal-best strikeout total of eight, done twice before and most recently in his last start on Aug. 20.

Gameday box score
Laweryson (1-1) had dominated in his previous six outings -- five of which were also scoreless --  but felt the latest one set the standard.
"I'd definitely say it was the best start that I've had," he said. "I had all four of my pitches working, putting them pretty much where I wanted to, for the most part."
The 2019 14th-round pick felt good about his chances against the Reds before he took the mound.
"I'd say it was a little something different today, just with how I felt," he said. "My body felt really good. Late in the season, you get pretty tired. But it was just something different about today that just my whole body just felt really good."
Laweryson's success was driven largely by his signature heater, but he said the off-speed made the difference in attacking a Greeneville lineup he matched up well against.
"I was primarily fastball, which I always am ... my changeup was the big difference," he said. "There were seven lefties in the lineup, so I was trying to stay fastball/changeup and mix in like an occasional slider or curveball."
The University of Maine product started off hot, fanning the Reds in order to open the game, then got the first two batters swinging in the second. Starting the game on a roll allowed Laweryson to hit the ground running, another key aspect to his performance.
"Usually in the first inning, it takes me a little bit to settle in," he said. "Mostly probably because of nerves. But getting the first couple guys out, especially like by a strikeout, that really helped me out to get me going."
Laweryson didn't allow more than one batter to reach in any of his six innings. He gave up a double to Garrett Wolforth with two outs in the fourth, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position in a 0-0 game. He kept the pressure at bay, though, getting Carlos Reina swinging to escape the inning.
"I don't even try to look at the scoreboard throughout the course of a game," he said. "Even if like I had a no-hitter going or something, I try to not look, even though it could be crossing my mind at some point. I just go out and just try to get each hitter out. I'm not really worried about what the score is."
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound hurler set a career mark with his ninth strikeout in the fourth, fanning Reds No. 5 prospectTyler Callihan. He whiffed five of the last seven batters he faced.

After he departed, Owen Griffith shut Greeneville down over the final three innings to preserve the shutout. The right-hander struck out five and surrendering just one hit en route to his first save.
"He did a great job," Laweryson said. "He has two really good breaking balls. That really matched up well against this team ... he did a great job too."
Through 10 appearances with Elizabethton, the 20-year-old sports a 1.76 ERA, an 0.83 WHIP and 59 punchouts in 41 innings. He made one start for Class A Cedar Rapids, allowing two hits while striking out four over five scoreless innings. He has a 1.57 ERA overall in 11 appearances, including seven starts. 
The Twins scored the game's lone run on a double by Janigson Villalobos that plated Anthony Prato in the fifth.